Only Fools Rush In
by bcain17
Summary: When Draco finds a little boy alone in a park he gets involved with someone he never expected to befriend. Will he be able to get over his pureblood upbringing to accept the first good thing to happen to him since the end of the war?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Harry Potter. Any name you recognize belongs solely to J.K. Rowling.**

**As you can tell, I have decided to take down this story in order to rewrite certain parts. After struggling for weeks to come up with something new to add to the storyline, I've decided to edit this back to the original outline. That simply means that the story will be taking a new direction and I hope you chose to continue to read it!**

Chapter 1

Draco Malfoy sat on the same park bench outside the Ministry of Magic everyday during his lunch break. Today was no different except for the fact that a little person was sitting in his normal seat and by the looks of it, he had tears running down his chubby cheeks. Draco quickly scanned the area for someone who might be a parent and saw no one around. Deciding that he couldn't just ignore a child, Draco strolled over to the little boy.

"Hello," Draco said, as he sat next to the child.

The child gave Draco a snotty hand covered wave.

Draco was intensely uncomfortable in this situation. He had never been around a small person and had no idea how to act in this situation. He pulled out his lunch and passed half of his sandwich to the curly haired boy sitting next to him. The little boy eagerly took the sandwich and scarfed it down.

Draco finally asked, "Where are your parents?"

A loud sob escaped the child as he answered, "I don't know where my mommy is."

Draco, not knowing what to do, patted the boy on the back. Apparently this meant something else as the youngster launched himself into Draco's lap, throwing his grubby arms around Draco's neck. Before Draco could admonish the boy for putting his grubby little hands all over Draco's Italian suit, instinct kicked in and he began to comfort this child as his mother used to comfort him when Lucius got angry. He gently rubbed the small boy's back trying to sooth the distraught child, "It's going to be alright. We'll find your mommy."

Draco studied the curly brown haired boy in his arms. He couldn't place why he looked so familiar until the boy looked up at him with his big sad cinnamon colored eyes.

"What's your name, son?" Draco asked.

"Declan Granger," came the polite answer.

"Granger? As in Hermione Granger?"

"Yep," Declan said, popping the "p" sound, "She's my mummy."

"Well, my name is Draco Malfoy and I know your mommy. How about we go back to my office and we'll use the floo to call her so she knows where you are?"

"Otay, Mr. Draco," Declan replied.

Draco smirked at the nickname and reached down to grab Declan's hand, "Alright Declan. Let's be off."

The two set of to the ministry and along the way, Draco learned many things about Declan. Like for instance, he was four going on five, his daddy was marrying someone named purple, he wanted a Nimbus 3200 for his birthday, but most of all, he was scared that his mummy wouldn't come for him.

By the time they had returned to the Auror Department, Draco was thoroughly entranced by the bookworm's son. Draco had taken Dumbledore's offer to change sides on top of the Astronomy Tower and had turned to the light side but he was in no means friends with the Golden Trio. In fact, he had played a minimal part in the war but he was okay with that. Deciding he needed to do something meaningful with his life after the war, Draco enrolled in the Auror program in order to bring respect back to the Malfoy name.

"Declan, do you know where your mom is at the moment?" Draco asked, sitting down on his desk chair. He lifted the little boy onto the side of his desk so they could maintain eye contact.

"She said she was in a meetin' but I don't know where," Declan said, sitting on Draco's desk, swinging his legs.

Draco leaned back in his chair, frowning he asked, "Then how did you get separated from her?"

"Oh I wasn't with my mommy, I was with my nanny but she stopped to talk to a guy in the park and I wanted to go play on the swings. They started making goo goo eyes at each other so I told her I was going to the swings but I gots lost on the way."

Draco nodded, thinking about all the times he run away from his mom when he was a boy because of boredom.

"Okay Declan, well let me floo your mom and have her come get you."

Lifting Declan off the desk and placing him onto the chair, Draco grabbed a handful of floo powder and shouted, A Quiet Corner, Diagon Alley. Hermione Granger had opened her own bookstore, opting not to work for the Ministry like the other two-thirds of the Golden Trio. He saw a small blond round the corner and shouted, "Oi! You!"

He obviously startled her by the way her hand automatically reached for her wand before she answered, "Can I help you, sir?"

Draco smirked, "My name is Draco Malfoy and I have Declan Granger in my office. I found him wandering around in the park across the street from the Ministry without his nanny and I thought Ms. Granger would like to know."

A look of sheer relief passed across the blonde's face, "Thank you for finding him, Mr. Malfoy. Ms. Granger has been frantic trying to find him."

She motioned for him to hold on while she went to get Granger. About a minute later, Granger flew through the fireplace and right into Draco's lap. Seeing Declan, she pushed off Malfoy's chest and ran to sweep the boy into her arms as Declan launched himself into his mother's arms.

"Declan, what happened? The nanny said you ran away from her?" Hermione questioned her son as she pushed her son away to look him in the eye.

Declan's face formed into a pout as he answered, "I didn't run away. I just went to find the swings when she started making goo goo eyes at a man. But I gots lost and Mr. Draco helped me. He even gave me a sandwich."

Hermione pulled him back into her arms, pressing his head into her shoulder and sent grateful look in Draco's direction. He just shrugged and replied, "I couldn't ignore a crying child Granger. I'm not a monster."

"I know that Malfoy. Thank you for taking care of him."

After Malfoy picked his jaw up off the floor from the fact the Granger had thanked him. Composing himself, he replied, "Like I said, it was not a problem, Granger. You've raised a good kid."

Hermione smiled but turned to Declan, "Alright little man, we better be getting back to the shop. I need to have a talk with that nanny of yours."

"Can Mr. Draco come too?" Declan asked, turning his head to look back at the man who had found him.

Before Hermione could answer, Draco said. "No, I'm sorry Declan, but I have a lot of work to finish."

Hermione looked from Declan to Draco realizing that a negative response was going to garner a tantrum from her son. Sighing, she asked, "Please come to dinner tonight, Malfoy. It's the least I can do."

Draco hesitated, unsure of whether or not he really was interested in going. He wasn't friends with Hermione Granger and really had no intention of getting to know her but when he looked up and saw Declan looking up at him with his huge brown eyes, he couldn't say no. In those eyes, he saw himself at that age desperate for a friend and someone who seemed to care. Sighing, Draco nodded, "When and where?"

"6pm at this address," Hermione said, grabbing a piece of parchment from his desk. She quickly scribbled something on it and passed it to him.

"Thank you again, Draco," Hermione said, shooting him a small smile.

Draco made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat but said nothing.

Granger seemed to receive the message and quickly got Declan ready to leave. As they were stepping through the floo, Draco called out, "See you at 6."

**_Read. Review. Love_**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with Harry Potter.

**Chapter 2- I'm going to make you love me**

"Mum," came a whiny cry from upstairs, "do I gotsta wear these stupid robes?"

Hermione took a deep breath. Declan had been whining the entire afternoon waiting for Mr. Draco to come, while she had been rushing around trying to get their house straightened up.

"Yes Declan, you must wear the robes. Mr. Draco is very formal and he would like you even more if you wore the robes," Hermione yelled back up the stairs, hoping bribery might make her son cooperate. When she didn't hear a response, she assumed her bribe had been noted and taken.

"Come downstairs and I'll tell you a story until Mr. Draco arrives," Hermione called.

She just shook her head at the thudding noises that came from her son's bedroom as they continued down the stairs. Declan arrived at the bottom of the stairs with his slightly ruffled dress robes askew. Hermione put a warming charm on the dinner and walked over to help Declan fix his clothes. Once everything was straightened, she pulled him into the living room so they could wait for Mr. Draco together.

"What story would you like to hear?" Hermione asked her son, running a hand over his chocolate curls.

"The one about how you met Mr. Draco," Declan squealed.

Hermione scoffed. How was she going to tell her son that his new hero was the slimmest person around when he was younger? Sure, he had grown up since then but from what she heard he was still a snob.

"Well…Let's see. I went to school with Draco…" Hermione started before she was interrupted.

"Did you go to Hogwarts together?"

"Yes, we did. Draco Malfoy was from a Pureblood family, who was very rich and powerful. He was a nice Slytherin," Hermione lied.

A new voice startled the pair, "There is no need to lie to the boy, Granger," Draco replied from where he had just apparated into the house.

Shocked, Hermione put her hand to her chest, "Merlin Malfoy! You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Mr. Draco!" Declan yelled, before jumping off the couch and launching himself onto Draco's legs hugging them for all he was worth.

"Hey Declan, the robes look really great on you," Draco greeted the little boy.

Declan grinned over at his mother, having realized that she had spoken the truth about robes. Hermione, having gotten over her scare, motioned for Draco and Declan to join her on the couch. Draco sauntered over and sat down, pulling Declan into the middle.

"Now Declan, your mom was just being nice. I was a snot nosed little brat when I was at Hogwarts. Your mom on the other hand," Draco trailed off, "Your mom was the smartest witch to come through Hogwarts in a thousand years. Everyone admired her and the Golden Trio. She was sorted into Gryffindor and graduate first in our class."

Draco leaned over and whispered the next part into Declan's ear, "I've never told anyone this but I liked her in school. I couldn't tell her though or my friends would tease me so I was mean to her."

Hermione looked over at the two of them, asking, "What are you whispering about?"

"Mommy! Mr. Draco was telling me how much he loved you in school," Declan cried out with a smile on his face.

Hermione threw her head back and laughed before turning towards Draco who looked a little pink in the cheeks.

"Aw, did you have a little crush on me? Hermione asked. When he started to deny it she said, "Your cheeks are little pink there Malfoy,"

"No!" came Draco's strangled cry, "I told Declan I liked you, not loved you. There is a hugr difference. And for your information Malfoy's do not blush."

Declan just shrugged, while Hermione laughed, and Draco scowled. Declan quickly grabbed Mr. Draco's hand and pulled him up the stairs to show him all of his cool toys. The room and its un-gryffindor-ness surprised Draco. The walls were green with a golden trim and toys of both magical and muggle properties were scattered across the floor.

"This is quite the place you have, Declan. Can you show me how some of this stuff works?" Draco asked, patting the boy's shoulder. He felt a hand pull on his and looked down into the watery brown eyes of a four years old boy.

Kneeling down, Draco looked Declan straight in the eye, asking, "What's wrong?"

"Can I have a daddy hug from you Mr. Draco?"

Draco had no idea what a "daddy" hug was because his father had certainly never hugged him when he was a child. So he awkwardly placed his hand around Declan's back. Declan pulled Draco even closer so he could rest his head on Draco's shoulder.

A squeak alerted Draco to Hermione's presence in the room. He looked over his shoulder to find Declan's mother trying to hold in the tears from the sight before her. Pulling herself together she whispered, "He's had a hard day. Let's go downstairs to eat and then we can put him in bed for the night."

Draco, not knowing how one put a child to bed, just nodded and carried Declan downstairs to the dinner table.

Hermione's home cooked dinner was a hit with Draco although he was amazed at how it was made the muggle way. They made small talk and listened to Declan's crazy stories that only a four year old can make up. They retired into the living room after the meal had been cleaned up.

Declan curled up into Draco's side and promptly fell asleep. Draco shot a panicked look at Hermione when Declan's head fell into his lap.

"Just let him sleep for now. We'll take him up to bed in a minute," Hermione replied to his look.

The two adults sat there in a quiet silence before Draco spoke up.

"Granger, can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Who is Declan's father?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," Hermione sighed. Taking a deep breath she continued, "I made a mistake after Ron broke up with me six years ago. I went out and got drunk at a random bar and ended up sleeping with a wizard I met there. That wizard ended up being Adrian Pucey."

Draco's head shot in her direction, "Pucey, as in Adrian Pucey? The Slytherin?"

Hermione nodded, "The one and only."

"So he is Declan's father?"

"Yes, he is but he rarely contacts us and he has no legal rights when it comes to Declan."

Draco quietly replied, "Granger, when a pureblood has a child they automatically have rights. You can't ban him from Declan's life. At any point he could come take Dec away from you."

A furious look crossed over Hermione's face, "But that's barbaric!"

"No, that is called the Pureblood Right Act."

"How can I prevent Adrian from taking him away from me?"

"You get married to another Pureblood, who then 'adopts' Declan," Draco responded.

Hermione laughed, "Well thank Merlin I don't have to do that. Adrian is getting married next week to Lavender Brown, so the chances of him wanting Declan are slim."

"Never underestimate a Slytherin, Granger. It will come back to bite you," Draco drawled in a low voice.

Hermione shook her head to clear her thoughts, brushing off his warning, "Okay Malfoy. Lets get this little guy to bed."

Draco picked up the sleeping child and carried him up the stairs, following Hermione into Declan's bedroom, carefully laying the boy on his bed. Hermione conjured up some pajamas and soon Declan was tucked into bed. Hermione placed a quick kiss on Declan's forehead and Draco gently rubbed a finger down Declan's cheek, feeling somewhat empty. Hermione turned off the light, cracked the door open, and whispered to Draco, "Would you like some coffee?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders in agreement and followed her back down the stairs to living room.

****

On the way back downstairs, Draco realized nothing was keeping him here now that Declan was asleep. He wasn't friends with Granger and had absolutely no intention of ever changing that. True, she had a cute child, but other than that…

"Granger, I'm going to take off," Draco stated, trying to remain friendly. He didn't want to completely piss off a war heroine in her own home.

Hermione nodded, "I didn't even expect you to stay this long."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well it was obvious you could barely stand to be in the presence of a mudblood, Malfoy."

"Granger, the only reason I came tonight was because of your bloody son. I would never in a million years dream about being friends with someone like you." He was annoyed that his earlier effort to be civil had been undermined.

"Who said anything about being friends? I was just trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, because for some reason my son likes you. I can't for the life of me think why, but that is just something I am going to have to put up with," Hermione growled back.

"Well, if it wasn't for your son then I wouldn't be here," Draco reiterated.

"Thanks for repeating yourself, Ferret," Hermione shot back, turning to walk out of the room, "Now why don't you go back to your mudblood-hating ways and leave my family alone."

"You know, for someone who claims to be open-minded you are making a lot of assumptions. And you do know what happens when you assume something, don't you?" Draco snapped as he walked to the fireplace.

Pausing, he turning around and said, "You make an ass out of yourself. Granger, you have a pretty cool kid, despite him being a half-blood and having a mother like you. Now I'm telling you this for his sake - find a pureblood and get married. Do not underestimate Pucey."

Before she could respond, he shouted "Zabini Manor" and was gone in a flash of green.

*****

Draco stumbled out of his best friend's fireplace to find the foyer empty. Knowing where Blaise would be, Draco made his way to the drawing room. His fellow Slytherin had remained neutral during the war due to his Italian blood. Draco and he had been friends since they were in magical diapers and Blaise had stayed by Draco's side in his darkest days, sixth year at Hogwarts, never abandoning him. Lately, the Italian had made a name for himself as a hotshot lawyer who only took on cases for the underprivileged - namely half bloods and muggleborns.

Draco stopped on the threshold of the drawing room and yelled out, "You're not starkers, are you?"

A soft voice responded, "No Draco, don't worry. The nargles won't let Blaise have his wicked way with me."

Draco chuckled. Despite having protested initially against Blaise's choice of wife, he truly enjoyed talking to Luna Zabini, formerly known as Looney Lovegood. He had tried calling her Looney to her face once, but as soon as Blaise heard him… well, let's just say Draco's ears hadn't been quite the same for a good while after that. They'd had the annoying tendency to turn purple and emit a noise which sounded suspiciously like "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".

"How are you doing, Lunes?" Draco asked, walking into the sunny room to find the happy couple sitting on the sofa watching a… noovie, he believed it was called. Plopping elegantly into the nearby armchair, he smirked at the husband and wife.

Blaise was glaring at him, letting Draco know that he had obviously interrupted something, while Luna was, as usual, smiling at him serenely. Blaise's hand was wrapped protectively over Luna's baby bump. The couple was expecting their first child in exactly three months and neither one could be more excited.

"So, why are you here in my house, interrupting my night, Malfoy?" Blaise questioned his blond friend. Normally Draco would be out schmoozing some poor woman.

"I had an interesting run in today that I wanted to talk to Luna about," Draco smirked.

"Of course, use our friendship to get to my wife. Thanks a lot, Drake," Blaise grinned back.

"Shut your mouth, Blaisey. I met Hermione Granger's son today."

"How?" Blaise questioned, surprised; the two weren't exactly known for socialising with each other.

"Well, I was eating lunch in the same place I always do -"

"You eat lunch in the same place? I thought only old people did that?" Blaise interrupted, smirking.

"Do you want to hear the story or not, Zabini?" Draco spat back, not in the mood to put up with his best friend's teasing.

"Yes, Blaise darling, it would be beneficial if you would hush for more than two seconds," Luna commented, patting Blaise's leg in a condemning manner.

"As I was about to say, I saw this little boy sitting on my park bench, crying. I couldn't just leave him there," Draco continued, ignoring Blaise's laughter at the words 'park bench'. "So I gave him part of my sandwich and talked to him for a bit. Smart chap, that Declan."

"Wait!" Luna interrupted, "Why was he alone in the first place? I know Hermione would take more precaution than that."

"Oh, he ran away from the man-ogling nanny and got lost. Anyway, I eventually got his name out of him and took him back to my office, called Granger and she came to pick him up. I got an invitation for dinner out of it and just came from Granger's house," Draco finished his tale.

"But that doesn't explain why you are here, Draco," Luna pointed out. "Was there something you wanted to ask me? About Declan?"

Draco hesitated, trying to put his recent revelation into words without sounding like too much of a sap.

"Draco, I'm sorry to rush you, but I'm afraid that you only have two minutes to tell me what the problem is," the woman informed him, leaning into her husband and resting her head on his shoulder.

"It might take longer than two minutes, Lunes," Draco responded.

"Well that's really too bad, because you only have two minutes. My bladder can hang on for two minutes but if you don't spit it out, you are going to have to replace a pee-stained sofa."

Draco laughed outright. If he could count on one thing with Luna, it was her honesty. Shaking his head ruefully he said, "Granger let me help her put Declan to bed and at that moment I felt like something was missing. Like something in my life is missing." He'd failed - he sounded like a sap.

Luna paused and tried to figure out a way to put what she wanted to say less bluntly. She couldn't. "Draco, I am going to be frank and I apologize ahead of time - you had a terrible upbringing."

Ignoring his protests, she continued.

"Yes, your parents might have gotten you everything you wanted, but you weren't loved like a child should be loved. What you need in your life is love, not the kind of loving you get from a one night stand, but from a deep, meaningful relationship," Luna replied very quickly before jumping off the sofa and running to the bathroom.

"Love? Seriously, that's what she thinks I need?" Draco questioned his friend.

Blaise's expression was serious, a rare occurrence. It made Draco slightly nervous.

"Draco, I had the same, typically cold and distant, pureblood upbringing that you did and it was only after I met Luna that I realized how much was missing from my life. The feeling you get when someone depends on you and needs your protection is nerve-wracking, but worth it - unbelievably worth it. I hope one day that you will find that someone, my friend," Blaise said, placing a hand on Draco's shoulder. Knowing the other man needed time with his thoughts, Blaise left the room to find his wife and tell her how much he loved her.

Draco sat there in the Zabini's armchair, thinking about having someone depend on him. He sat there for three hours reflecting on his loveless life, before finally drifting off to sleep.

****

Draco awoke the next morning to awful crick in his neck and the smell of coffee. Hearing voices down the hall, Draco followed the soft chatter to the kitchen. Muttering a good morning, he gladly accepted the steaming mug Blaise passed him. Once the caffeine had restarted his basic functions, Draco announced, "I am going to find someone to love."

Blaise whispered in Luna's ear, "Well this ought to be entertaining."

Luna sent an elbow into Blaise's side, instantly shutting the man up. She asked Draco in a very calm, slightly amused voice, "How are you going to find someone to love, Draco?"

Draco leaned forward against the counter in anticipation. He had come up with a plan last night, "I am going to make the first person who asks me for help love me!"

Blaise snorted, "That has to be the stupidest idea I have ever heard. What if a man asks you for help?"

"Clarification; I will get the first woman to ask me for help to fall in love with me."

"You can't make someone love you, Draco. It doesn't work that way. You'll fail," his friend finished bluntly.

"Shut up Zabini, Malfoys don't fail. I bet I can have the first witch to ask me for help in love with me by the time your spawn is born," Draco responded in his typical, over-confident drawl.

Blaise just shook his head while Luna chirped up, "I'll take that bet, Malfoy, but I am going to change it around a bit. If you are in love with the witch you choose by the end of the three months, I'll let you be our baby's godfather. If you fail to fall in love, Harry Potter gets the honour."

Blaise looked at his wife incredulously, "Luna Zabini, what in Merlin's name do you think you are doing?"

"I'm making a bet, love. So Draco, what do you say?"

Draco pondered the bet. Could he really fall in love with someone and prove it in three months? Why the hell not?

"Luna, I accept your offer," Draco said, shaking her hand and strolling out of the room.

As soon as his best friend was gone, Blaise turned to his wife incredulously. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that Hermione Granger just walked through the front door chasing her son. In about two seconds she is going to ask our dearest Draco to grab Declan for her."

"Asking for Draco's help. Oh my dear wife, you should have been in Slytherin."

"Maybe, but then the nargles would have eaten me alive."

The happy couple was interrupted by a shout from the foyer, **"BLOODY HELL. ZABINI SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR WIFE BECAUSE SHE IS DEAD!"**

Blaise looked down at his smirking wife, "Spot on Luna, spot on."

**AN: Who loves Blaise and Luna? They might be my two favorite characters in Harry Potter. So what did you think? I'm updating much faster than anticipated. Well, that could be because I have the flu and can't don anything else. So reviews will make me feel oh so much better! **

**Let me know what your favorite part was!**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It belongs to the brilliant J.K.R.

**Chapter 3**

Five minutes earlier…

Draco strode toward the floo in the Zabini Manor with a new mission. The first woman to ask for his help would be the woman he was going to make fall in love with him. Reaching the floo, he was about to grab a handful of floo powder when a small body flew into him, knocking him back onto his arse. Groaning, Draco looked up to see the small form of Declan Granger, grinning up at him.

"Sorry Mr. Draco but I gotsa go find Uncle Blaise," Declan said, before taking off down the hallway.

The harried form of Hermione Granger came through the floo next. As soon as she burst through she called out, "Malfoy, can you please catch my son for me?"

Draco didn't even think about what he was doing but soon found himself running after the small boy. Having longer legs, Draco quickly overtook Declan and scooped him up into his arms.

"Ah, Mr. Draco! Why'd you catch me?" Declan huffed at the older man.

Draco grinned down at the young boy, saying, "Because your mother asked me to help catch you."

As soon as the words were out of Draco's mouth, he realized what he had just done. He stormed back to Hermione, set Declan down at her feet. Hermione quickly latched a hand onto her son's shoulder to stop him from running again.

"Thanks for that Malfoy," She said, straightening Declan's messy curls.

When Draco didn't say anything in return, she looked up at him. His face was a mask of disgust; loathing covered every inch of it. Not knowing how to respond to such a look, Hermione asked the most basic of questions, "Are you okay?'

Draco once again ignored her, turning instead to storm down the hallway in search of the Slytherin in disguise, also known as Luna Zabini.

"**BLOODY HELL! ZABINI HIDE YOUR WIFE BECAUSE I AM GOING TO KILL HER!" **Draco shouted as he continued to storm through the Manor towards kitchen.

Hermione decided to follow him, knowing he would lead her to Luna and Blaise. Apparently, Luna had done something that upset the bipolar ferret in a matter of two seconds. Declan was happily holding his mothers hand, listening to Draco yell at his Aunt Luna.

"Mommy!" Declan said, scandalized, "Mr. Draco said a bad word!"

Hermione let out a chuckle as the pair walked into the kitchen. Blaise sent them an amused wave with his arm wrapped around a smirking Luna. Draco stood there looking like an idiot, waving his hands all around in the air, and opening and closing his mouth.

He finally got around to saying something five minutes later.

"Blaise, I am going to borrow your wife for just minute."

Blaise laughed, replying, "Just remember she's pregnant and you can't hex her!"

Luna sent an airy smile back at Blaise, "Don't worry honey he won't hurt me. The baby is feeling magical today and might hex Draco's hair blue again if he puts a hand on me."

Draco significantly paled, "I thought we weren't going to talk about that anymore, Lunes!"

Hermione decided to put in her two cents, "Blaise, please tell me. I love hearing about Malfoy's misfortunes"

"Alright 'Mione, Declan. Pull up a chair and I'll tell you the wondrous tale about how Mr. Grumpy Pants over there had his hair hexed blue by baby Zabini. Nothing could change it back. Not even glamour charms worked."

Draco grabbed Luna, by her arm and pulled her out into the hallway. Once they were out of hearing distance, he threw up a silencing spell just to be safe and started to yell, "Seriously Luna? How could you set me up like that? Granger and me are mortal enemies. I thought you might have wanted me to be your baby's godfather but this bet is impossible. I'm calling it off."

"Oh grow up you big baby," Luna shot back, jerking her arm out of his. "You need to realize that some blond bimbo is not going to make you happy. Yes, I set you up. I knew Hermione was coming over this morning. But Draco, she needs a man like you in her life. Hermione Granger has had the hardest time since she got pregnant. And no matter what your opinion is, you would be good for each other."

"Are you seriously trying to tell me that life hasn't been all smiles for the glorious know it all?" Draco asked, choosing to ignore the part about him and Granger being good for each other.

"That is exactly what I am telling you, Draco. When she told the Weasely's she was pregnant and it wasn't Ron's baby, they disowned her. The only one she still keeps in contact with is Ginny and that's only because she is married to Harry. The Ministry wouldn't even give her a job because she was a single mom. You know who Declan's father is?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, Pucey."

"Well he is always lurking in the shadows. Have you heard that he is marrying Lavender Brown?"

"Yes, I got an invitation in the mail."

"Well, she hates Hermione with a passion and would do anything in her power to make take away Hermione's happiness," Luna said, giving him a knowing look.

"Including, taking away her son?" Draco asked incredulously.

Luna sighed and moved to sit down on a bench in the hall. Patting the spot next to her, she continued, "Lavender is vindictive skank and would do anything to hurt Hermione. Blaise is looking into ways for Hermione to keep Adrian away from Declan but so far he hasn't come up with anything that combats Pureblood Right."

"Wow, I didn't know you all were such buddies," Draco snarked back.

Luna stood up, incredibly angry, "Draco Malfoy, you utter ass. Here I am giving you an opportunity to do some good for one of my closest friends and you are making fun of us."

Taking a deep breath to clam herself down, she continued, "Draco, all I need you to do is get close to Hermione and Declan. Maybe that would scare Adrian away for good. Blaise and I haven't let Hermione in on how big this problem is. It would kill her to lose her son, literally kill her."

Now it was Draco's turn to sigh, "Alright Luna. I'll give it some thought."

Luna sent him a smile and looped her arm through his to walk back to the kitchen. Once inside, Blaise immediately reached for his wife and glared at his best friend, "You didn't hurt her did you?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "No, Blaise."

"Good."

Hermione was watching the discussion with interest. When the men stopped talking, she said, "Blaise, are you still going to watch Declan for me today? I really need to be going."

"Sure thing, Hermione. He'll be nice and safe with me. Now you head into work and I'll meet you at the normal spot for lunch," Blaise said, shooing her out the door.

Hermione leaned down to give Declan a quick kiss on the cheek, which he promptly rubbed off, "Be good for Uncle Blaise and I'll see you for lunch."

Waving one last time at the boys, Hermione flooed to the bookshop. As soon as she was out of sight, Luna exclaimed, "Blaise! I have that appointment for the baby today. I can't believe you forgot."

Confused, Blaise looked down at his wife, "What are you talking about Luna?"

The little blond glared up at her husband.

"I told you last week that we had to reschedule the appointment. But you go watch Declan and I'll have this baby by my self!" Luna shouted the last part and stormed out of the room, leaving one stunned man and two snickering fools.

"Bloody hell, mate. I hope you make it to the actual birth," Draco laughed at his best friend.

"Draco, I need to ask you a serious favor," Blaise replied, the fact that he was begging was very evident in his voice.

"Whatever you need, Blaisey Boy."

"I need you to watch Declan today. His bag is by the floo," Blaise said as he walked out of the room in search of his wife.

"OI! WHAT?" Draco yelled after his friend's retreating back.

Blaise didn't come back.

Draco turned to look at the little boy who was swinging his legs happily lost in his own world. What was he going to tell his boss? Oh wait Pothead was his boss. Granger and Potty must still be friends so he would be okay with Draco having a younger shadow today.

"Okay Declan. Change of plans. You and me are going to hang out today. So pack your bag and let's head off," Draco said, helping Declan down from his chair.

"Bloody hell! That's awesome Mr. Draco," Declan said, running off to find his bag.

Draco paled at the tot's use of the words 'bloody hell'. He quickly ran after the boy.

"Declan, you can't say that phrase until you are eleven years old. If you say it again the goblins from Gringotts are going to come grab you and lock you in a vault," Draco said, in an attempt to keep the boy from telling his mother where he learned those new words.

Well, it certainly took effect with Declan burst into tears and threw his little body into Draco's arms. Through choked sobs, he cried, "Don't let them take me. I sorry, Mr. Draco."

Draco patted the child on the back and realized he may have taken it too far. His realization was seconded when a voice spoke, "Oh good job, Drake."

Draco turned his head to find that his disappearing best friend had materialized again.

"Thanks for the support, Blaise," Draco snarled out as Declan continued to cry.

Blaise shrugged, "Oh you need to meet Granger for lunch at The Palace Café in Diagon Alley to drop Declan off. Be there at 1pm and no later."

Draco nodded and picked Declan up in his arms. Once he had the boy and his backpack situated, Draco threw some floo powder into the fireplace and shouted "Ministry of Magic."

With a flash of green they were gone.

When Blaise saw his friend was gone he called out, "Luna, you can come out now. He bought your fake appointment act."

**AN: So this is the final chapter before major changes happen to the original story line. I'm about halfway through the next chapter and will post it soon. Remember, reviews make me write faster, so let's see how many we can get this chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Chapter 4-At the Office

Being a Malfoy, Draco was always used to people looking at him. Plus in his own opinion, he was a high attractive male who women were dying to jump. But all their staring was nothing compared to this.

He and Declan were walking through the atrium of the Ministry of Magic, having just exited the floo system. And everything had come to a stop. It was all rather ridiculous. One man even walked into the side of the floo.

Declan giggled and swung Draco's hand back and fourth, skipping gaily through the atrium with his little backpack on, completely unaware by all the attention.

A flash of blond out of the corner of his eye alerted Draco that Rita Skeeter had seen him. How that woman had yet to be avada'd by someone was astounding. He made a mental note to contact the editor of the Daily Prophet threatening Skeeter with Azkaban if she wrote any type of article about him and Declan. It wouldn't be the first time he had threatened her and he doubted it would be the last.

He could hear the whispers of those walking past him and was thoroughly annoyed. People had never forgiven or forgotten what his family had done in the war.

"_Is that Draco Malfoy with a CHILD?"_

"_I thought he was banned from every producing spawn."_

"_Filthy Death eater scum."_

"_Is that Hermione Granger's son?"_

Deciding that they needed to get out of there as quickly as possible, Draco lifted Declan into his arms and walked quickly to the elevators. Five minutes later, they were walking into the Auror office. Everyone was so busy that they didn't pay attention to the fact that Malfoy had a child in his arms. Well, everyone except for one man.

Harry Potter's jaw dropped when Draco Malfoy walked in holding his Hermione's son in his arms. The first thing that crossed Harry's mind was panic-what if something had happened to Hermione? Had Draco done something to her? And before he could stop himself, Harry was yelling, "Oi Malfoy! I didn't take you as the child stealing bastard type."

A hush fell over the busy office even though Harry's accusation made no sense. When would Draco bring a kidnapped child into the AUROR office? Everyone enjoyed a good Potter/Malfoy fight. There was a reason director Shacklebolt hadn't assigned those two as partners even though they were the top two students in their training class.

Draco froze.

Harry Potter had been a thorn in his side for years but had never crossed the line until today. Declan looked up into Draco's face with a wary expression on his face. Draco knew the boy could feel the anger rolling off him and tried to control himself.

Without turning around, Draco stated in a deadly calm voice, "What did you say Potter?"

"You heard what I said, Malfoy. What'd you do to Hermione?" Harry spat back, walking towards the pair.

Draco could feel Declan trembling in his arms and decided that this conversation needed to take place in his office. He walked over to one of the secretaries and set Declan down on the top of her desk.

"Hey Declan, this is Mindy and she is going to watch you for a few minutes while I talk to your Uncle Harry," Draco said, patting Declan's shoulder in a some what comforting manner.

"Is he going to hurt you, Mr. Draco?" Declan asked quietly.

Draco's face lit into a small grin, "Nah mate. He can't hurt me. I'm the best Auror in the department."

Ignoring Mindy's snort of laughter, Draco turned back to Harry, "My office now, Potter."

Harry knew better than to continue the fight out in the main area so he quickly followed Draco into his office, slamming the door behind him.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry shot out once the door was closed.

Draco sighed and sat down behind his desk and responded, "She's at work."

"They why on Merlin's green earth do you have her son?" Harry asked, completely flabbergasted at the thought of 'Mione entrusting Draco Malfoy with her son.

"Because of bloody Zabini and his little wife too."

"What do Blaise and Luna have to do with anything?"

"You better sit down Potter. This may be more than your little half-blood brain can handle," Draco sneered, leaning his elbows on the desk.

"Sod off, Malfoy. I just want some answers," Harry replied in a tired voice.

A knock on the door interrupted the beginning of Draco's story. Mindy popped her head through the door, "Mr. Malfoy? Declan is causing quite a ruckus and I would appreciate if you could please keep him here in your office for the rest of the day."

Harry and Draco looked at each other both wondering what on earth the child could have done in five minutes. Mindy opened the door and they both got a look at the department. It resembled a war zone. The walls had been turned a disgusting shade of purple and bodies were flying all over the place, trying to avoid paperclip daggers.

"DECLAN!" Draco and Harry called at the same time.

The little boy in question was standing on top of the desk using his fingers to aim the paperclips at Aurors and their assistants who stayed in one place too long. When he heard his name being called out he looked over at the two adult and waved, accidentally causing fifty paperclips to come shooting at them.

"Potter look out!" Draco yelped as he pushed Harry out of the way.

The paper clips hit Draco's door like darts on a dartboard, embedding themselves deep into the wood.

"Merlin," Harry whispered, looking Declan who was now upset at having almost offed his two favorite men.

"Mr. Draco, I sorry!" Declan cried, tears running down his cheeks.

Draco decided it would be safe to make a run for the boy while Harry called out, "Finite Incantatem."

The paperclips dropped to floor.

"And you call yourselves Aurors," Harry spat out disgustedly before walking back into Draco's office. At least they had the notion to look ashamed but to their credit they had been diving killer paperclips.

Draco had made his way over to the desk Declan was standing on. As soon as Draco was close enough, Declan launched himself into his arms. Caught by surprise, Draco still managed to catch the little boy.

Declan's little arms wrapped around Draco's neck and he was genuinely upset. Draco just rolled his eyes at the dramatic display and carried the miscreant into his office. Harry was sitting down in the chair in front of Draco's desk and motioned for Draco to give Declan to him. Eager to get rid of the extra weight, Draco passes Declan off to Harry.

"Why are you still here, Potter?" Draco asked, as he sat back in his office chair pinching the bridge of his nose. He could already feel a headache coming on and it was only 10 am.

"I want to hear the story you were going to tell me before Mindy interrupted us."

"Bloody hell. I can't take much more lunacy," Draco muttered underneath his breath.

"Just tell me, Malfoy," Harry insisted, shifting Declan in his lap so they were both facing Draco.

"Don't get your muggle panties twisted in a wad."

"Malfoy! Come on and I don't wear panties."

"Okay fine, I was at the Zabini's manor this morning when Granger and Declan came in. Blaise was going to watch Dec but he forgot that Luna had an appointment for her spawn so he asked me to watch Declan until 1pm. Then I am to meet Granger at some restaurant," Draco said as fast as he could in order to get Potter out of his office so some real work could get done.

Draco looked up from his desk to find two pairs of eyes looking at him incredulously.

"What?" Draco snapped.

"Blimey mate. I don't think I've ever heard a bloke talk that fast before," Harry muttered while Declan giggled, "You sounded like Aunt Ginny when she gets together with mommy."

Scoffing Draco replied, "Thank you for comparing me to a woman, Declan."

The sarcasm in his voice was clearly missed when Declan replied, "You're welcome, Mr. Draco."

Potter even had the audacity to laugh at him.

"Well Malfoy, I'll let you talk to Declan about misusing magic. I've got work to do," Harry said, standing up to leave.

"Wait, Potter has he even used magic before?" Draco asked anxiously.

Harry laughed again, "Yeah he has. Get Hermione to tell you some of this kids exploits. He gets it from his father."

Draco couldn't imagine Declan getting anything good from Adrian Pucey so he decided to ignore that part of Potter's statement. After Potter left, Draco walked back around the desk to squat in front of Declan, who was sitting on the chair. He really had no idea how to handle the situation but decided to bring out the talk his father had given him when he killed all his mother's flowers with a random burst of magic during a temper tantrum.

"Declan, please look at me."

Declan lifted his eyes innocently to Draco's, "Yes, Mr. Draco?"

"Why did you turn the walls purple and start shooting paperclips at people?"

"Because I was angry that you left me there with that bint, Mindy," Declan stated in a precocious tone and even added a roll of his eyes.

The thought that Declan had such control over his magic at such a young age made Draco very nervous. He was definitely going to have a chat with Granger about her son's rather Slytherin magic display.

"Declan," Draco said sharply, "What did I say about using bad words this morning?"

Declan gulped, "That the goblins were going to come get me."

"Well, consider this your last warning."

"Okay Mr. Draco, I promise not to say bloody hell or bint again," Declan replied in a sincere tone.

"Good lad, now we need to talk about your use of magic today."

"You're not going to tell mommy, are you?"

Draco cringed. He could only imagine what Granger would do when she found out. Taking a deep breath, Draco started in on the lecture, "Declan, no matter how upset you get you can't let your magic ever get the best of you. You need to learn to control it at all times until you are 11. If you can't control it then you are going to get in trouble. Please be very careful from now on, Dec. Someone could have gotten hurt today. Now promise me that you will be careful from now on."

"I prowmise Mr. Draco," Declan replied solemnly.

"Good deal, now we can have some fun. Would you like to help me play detective?" Draco asked.

At Declan's eager nod, he sat down in the chair next to the boy and started explaining the case he had been looking at, leaving out all the gory details.

The pair worked for nearly three hours before Draco realized that they needed to meet Granger in 15 minutes at the café. He quickly had Declan pick up the mess he had made with his toys and hustled them out the door. They quickly walked to the elevators waving goodbye to Harry. Draco once again carried Declan through the atrium to avoid all the gawking people.

What he didn't notice this time was a brown haired former Slytherin watching the pair with anger in his eyes.

****

Draco dragged Declan through the streets of Diagon Alley, praying to Merlin that they would make it on time and that Granger wouldn't hand him his ass to him on a platter when they go there.

"Mr. Draco, slow down," Declan whined as he tugged on Draco's hand.

Draco glanced down to see the little guy huffing and puffing; his little legs weary from the quick jaunt. How quickly he forgot that he was dealing with a child.

"Oh, sorry Dec. How about you ride on my back so we get to restaurant quicker. You be on the lookout for your mother," Draco said, bending down so that Declan could hop on his back.

Once the pair was situated, they were off back down the street to The Palace Café. They arrived at 12:59 exactly and found Hermione sitting at a table outside. It was an unseasonably warm day and she was obviously taking advantage of it. Draco slowly made his way over to her table.

"Mummy!" Declan called out from Draco's back.

Grimacing, Draco picked up the pace. He had wanted to sit down before she saw them but thanks to Declan, she was now fuming.

"Declan, why are you with Malfoy?" Hermione ground out through clenched teeth. Her napkin was currently being clutched to death and Draco could feel the anger rolling off her.

Declan ignored her question and whispered in Draco's ear, "Why do people always call you Malfoy?"

Chuckling lightly, Draco responded, "Because it's my last name and I have a weird first name."

That sent Declan in a laughter fit and Draco had to hold on extra tight to make sure the boy didn't fall off his back. It would be unfortunate for Declan to get hurt with an angry mom standing there watching. Draco was immediately reminded of an angry bear protecting her cub from the looks Hermione was sending him.

Draco set Declan down in the chair next to Hermione and went to sit on the other side of the small table. Draco was hoping for some small talk before she ripped into him for having her son. His hope was not to be.

"Malfoy, what are you doing with Declan?"

"Geeze Granger, you need to relax. Let's get some food and drinks and then I'll tell you how I came to be the guardian of your son today," Draco drawled out in a lazy yet condescending tone.

"What makes you think I want anything to do with you?" Hermione spat back.

Rolling his eyes, Draco said, "Last time I checked, having lunch is very easy.

Lowering his voice he whispered, "Plus Dec had a little accidental magic bout in the Auror Department today that I need to talk to you about."

"Yeah, fine but answer my question: How did you get my son?"

"Here is your answer Granger. Feed me and then I'll tell you."

Hermione just scoffed but quickly summoned the waiter so they could order. Draco, trying to buy himself some time took forever to order asking the waiter all kinds of questions about the dishes. All the while, Hermione was sitting there fuming. He could see she was about ready to hex him into next year so he finally ordered.

"Okay Malfoy, we've ordered now tell me what happened to Blaise watching Declan?" Hermione spat out in a low voice, trying to not alert the other restaurant goers that a war hero was about to kick an ex-death eater to Timbuktu.

"Okay, well as soon as you left his morning…Oh look there's Potter," Draco said, waving Harry and Ginny over to the table.

Hermione saw who was with Harry and let out a soft groan. Draco looked at her curiously, having heard the groan. Maybe things weren't as good as Luna had said between Granger and She-Potter.

Harry walked over to the table with Ginny at his elbow. "Hey 'Mione, Declan, Malfoy," He greeted happily.

Hermione stared incredulously at him while Draco gave him a sharp nod in acknowledgement.

Sputtering her words, Hermione said, "Why isn't this a surprise to you Harry?"

Shifting nervously from one foot to the other, Harry looked at the floor and replied, "I saw Malfoy here come into the office with Declan today and he explained what he was doing and why Declan wasn't with Blaise."

Ignoring Draco's snort at the explanation, Harry continued, "Do you mind if we sit down?"

"Go ahead, Potter. Does your wife speak by the way?" Draco sneered out.

Ginny shot him a glare before responding, "You haven't changed much Malfoy. Still the insolent little snot you were from school."

Draco looked her head to toe twice saying, "Money suits you, Weaslette. You actually have clothes that aren't four sizes too big."

Hermione let out a soft chuckle at Draco's words, surprising everyone at the table.

"What?" She smirked, "You have to admit that it was funny. And Ginny you look fabulous today by the way. Where did you get your jacket?"

"No where a single mother would be able to afford," Ginny replied in a sarcastically sweet tone.

"Well," Harry said, trying to cover for his wife's rude comment, "Have you ordered yet?"

"Yes, Harry. We ordered about ten minutes ago but you go ahead and order the next time the waiter comes around," Hermione commented.

Declan, who had been sitting quietly coloring on the children's menu suddenly spoke up, "Momma, I gosta go potty."

"Me and Ginny will take him and Malfoy needs to tell you something," Harry stated, giving Draco a pointed look. Obviously, Potter wanted him to tell her about what happened in the Auror Department.

"Oh okay," Hermione said, confused as to what Harry thought Draco needed to tell her.

Harry, Ginny, and Declan all got up from the table but Declan kept looking over his shoulder shooting pained glances at Draco, knowing that he was about to tell Hermione what happened at the office.

Draco sat up a little straighter in his chair, saying, "Granger has Declan showed signs of magic?"

"Yes but I don't see how it's any of your business."

"It became my business this morning when Declan turned the Auror Office into a battle zone."

Hermione blanched, "I don't understand. Can you start from the beginning?"

Sighing, Draco said, "So this morning after you left, Luna told Blaise that she had rescheduled her appointment for the baby today and that she wanted him to be there. So he asked me to watch Declan for the morning. I was tricked into agreeing and ended up taking Dec to the office with me."

Hermione ignored the nickname Draco had given her son, "But what happened?"

"Well, Potter accused me of being a 'child-stealer' in front of the entire department. So I left Declan in the care of a secretary so I could talk to Potter without scaring Dec. We were only in my office for five minutes when the secretary came flying in and told me I needed to keep Declan in my office for the rest of the day. Potter and I walked right into a battle zone. Your son had turned all the walls a hideous shade of purple and had summoned all the paperclips to fly at people like little darts," Draco answered her question.

He saw her face rapidly draining of color and continued, "Thankfully no one was hurt but when Dec saw me and Potter, he waved at us, unintentionally sending 50 flying paperclips in our direction. Poor boy nearly speared the boy who lived to death. Now that would have been a funny way for the Boy Hero to die. Killed by his best friend's illegitimate child with a paperclip."

"Malfoy," Granger ground out, stopping his little tangent.

"Oh right, anyway, I got to Declan while Harry stopped all the paperclips from harpooning various Aurors. The poor little guy was upset that he had almost hurt two people he liked. I took him into my office and had him help me with work the rest of the day," Draco finished.

Hermione was sitting there with a slight smile on her face. He narrowed his eyes at her but the smile only widened.

"What?" He barked out.

"For claiming to have no knowledge of children, you sure are good with them. Declan isn't the easiest child to calm down or pacify and you managed to do that without really thinking about it. As much as it pains me to admit it, you handled the situation well," Hermione stated.

Draco felt his cheeks color slightly at her praise and desperately willed Harry and Declan to come back. His wish was left unanswered when he heard Hermione laugh, "Are you blushing?"

Lifting his head into the air and trying to look aloof, Draco responded, "Malfoy's do not blush, Granger. We've been over this before."

"Oh right," Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes.

Draco wasn't through with finding out about Declan's magic and asked, "Granger, has Declan ever used his magic to hurt people?"

"No, of course not," came the immediate reply.

Then there was a pause. Draco knew she was thinking about how many times Declan had used magic in the past four years. Finally, she responded, "He hasn't ever intentionally used his magic to hurt people. There have been some unfortunate incidents where someone was inadvertently involved but nothing too bad. Why?"

Draco sat back in the chair, bringing a hand up over his forehead and said, "Because today he made a gun shape with his hand and was 'firing' paperclips at people."

"Oh Merlin," Hermione whispered, slumping back into her chair, "what am I going to do?"

"Have you talked to Declan about misusing magic before?" Draco asked quietly.

"Yes, all the time."

"Okay. I think he needs to hear that from someone else."

"Oh someone like you?" Hermione shot back angrily.

Then Draco did the unexpected. He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. Gently holding her hand, he said, "Hermione, I have come to like your son a lot. He is a great little boy but his father was a Slytherin and it's in his genes to do bad things. I was thinking that he could meet with me and Blaise, possibly Potter if that would make you feel better, every Saturday for wizard lessons. We could give him knowledge about his history and insight from a male's point of view."

"Malfoy, I don-" Hermione started to say but was interrupted by Draco.

"You don't have to give me an answer now. Just promise me you'll think about it. All I want is for your son to be exactly like you and not like his father."

Harry and Declan returned to the table before Hermione could respond. Soon their food was served and everyone ate quietly.

"Potter, where did your shrew go?" Draco asked conversationally when everyone had finished eating their food.

Hermione choked and Declan started laughing while Harry glared at him, "My wife had a headache and decided to go home."

"Likely story," Draco muttered underneath his breath.

Hermione stood up, saying, "Well boy's, its been lovely having lunch with you but I really need to get back to work. Say goodbye, Declan."

Declan leaned over to Draco and whispered, "Did you tell her?"

Draco leaned in and whispered, "I had to buddy."

"No you didn't!" Declan cried out, drawing the attention of his mother.

"Declan Granger, what on earth are you yelling about?" She asked, placing her hand on her son's back as it looked like he was about to jump on Draco.

"He told you! I told him he didn't have to tell you what happened! But he told you anyway. He's a tattle tale meanie head!" Declan yelled, tears of frustration now rolling down his cheeks.

Hermione quickly pulled him into her arms, "Declan, I'm not angry at you. I understand things happen. Now apologize to Mr. Draco."

"No!"

"Hermione, I think you need to get him out of here," Harry stated, "Before he goes into a full blown meltdown."

Hermione nodded, "I'm sorry, Draco. I'll bring him by the office sometime this week for him to apologize and to give you my answer."

"That's fine. Have a good afternoon, Granger," Draco said, waving his hand slightly at pair as they left the restaurant.

As soon as they were gone from sight, Harry turned to Draco and asked, "How did she take it?"

"I can't believe he's angry at me. I've never been called a tattle tale meanie head before," Draco mused, completely ignoring Harry's question.

Snapping his fingers in front of Draco's face, Harry said, "Answer the question, Malfoy."

Draco sighed, "I think she was shocked for the most part. I asked her if Blaise and I could give Dec wizard lessons. You are invited to come too."

Harry looked at Draco incredulously, "You do realize that this isn't your son, right Malfoy?"

Draco stared at Harry. He knew that Declan wasn't his son but he felt such a strong connection to the boy. It was like he was destined to be part of Declan's life. Plus he had to somehow get Hermione to fall in love with him in the next three months.

"Yes, Potter. I know that Declan isn't my son!" Draco spat back at Harry.

"Okay, just making sure."

"Oh and Potter do you mind telling me why your wife was such a bitch to Hermione today? Luna told me they got along," Draco said, expertly diverting the attention onto some other topic.

"Look Malfoy, I have a meeting in twenty minutes so if you want to hear the story you are going to have to walk back to the ministry with me," Harry said, standing up.

Draco stood too. Placing enough money to cover everyone's meal and the tip, he followed Harry out of the restaurant. The two were casually strolling through Diagon Alley when Harry started the story.

"So you know that Hermione and Ron broke up over five years ago?" Harry asked, trying to see how many details Draco knew.

"Yeah and then she got drunk and slept with Adrian Pucey."

"Yeah well, Ron told his family that Hermione cheated on him. I knew the truth and called him out on it but he denied that he had in fact been the one who was cheating. So when Hermione showed up pregnant some months later, the Weasely's all chose to back Ron and blamed her for 'breaking his heart'. It's rather sickening and I rarely see them unless I have too."

"Wow," was all Draco could say.

The duo arrived at the Ministry of Magic and Draco was once again bombarded with stares but time due to the Boy Who Lived and an ex-death eater walking with each other.

"I have the afternoon off. See you tomorrow, Potter," Draco called out as he walked to the floo. Harry sent him a wave and headed off for the stairs.

**AN: Happy Veteran's Day to those here in the US! Enjoy the update and review, review, review! **

**Coming up in the next chapter: Wizard Lessons. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. **

**Chapter 5**

Arriving at the Manor later that evening, Draco was greeted by his house elf, Mopsy.

"Master Draco, you have a guest waiting for you in the parlor."

"Thank you, Mopsy. Do you know who it is?" Draco asked as he passed the elf.

"No, but Mopsy know it's a bad man, Master Draco."

Draco walked to the parlor and flung the doors open, not knowing whom to expect. To his complete surprise, Adrian Pucey was sitting on the couch.

"Ah Pucey, I was wondering when you would come to visit. Long time, no see, my friend."

"Quit your bull, Malfoy. I am here to warn you to stay away from Hermione and Declan Granger."

"And if I don't?"

"Then they'll pay for your idiocy."

Draco smirked at the other man, "But I am not the idiot am I? Aren't you the one who gave up a child?"

Adrian glared at the other man, "Well it's only a matter of time before I get him and HER back. Pureblood right and all. Plus I'm sure that our dear Hermione would leap at the chance to marry me in order to keep her son. And that would make you the one all alone."

"Get out of my house," Draco growled, reaching for his wand.

With a short laugh, Adrian backed away. As he was walking out of the parlor, he called, "Just remember Malfoy, things aren't always as they seem. Ron Weasley is a perfect example. The man did everything I set in front of him, including the tramp he cheated on Hermione with. Have a glorious afternoon, Malfoy and remember my warning."

Draco shot a hex at the door but Adrian was gone. Now, he knew what he was dealing with and it was going to take a lot of help to ensure that Hermione kept Declan. There was no way that boy was going to grow up with that man as his father.

Grabbing a fist full of floo powder, he threw it into the fireplace. Arriving at his destination, he saw the person he needed and said, "We need to talk."

Draco flooed directly into the house, knowing that the man he was looking for would allow it. Much to his surprise, the man in question was sitting in a rocking chair by the fire as if he had been waiting.

"Draco, to what do I owe this pleasure of seeing you," a raspy voice hissed out. The snake's bite had cause permanent damage to the man's vocal cords.

"Severus, we need to talk," Draco replied, sitting down in the chair opposite his old potions professor and godfather.

"About what exactly?" Severus Snape question softly.

Draco looked around the old room and noticed very little had changed since his last stay at Spinner's End. This is where Severus had taken Draco after that terrible night on top of the Astronomy Tower. This is where Draco had hidden from Voldemort before asking Severus to take him to the Order.

The memories of that night continued to haunt Draco to this day.

"Tell me all you know about Adrian Pucey."

"Mmm," Severus said solemnly, trying to pull out any information he had on the boy.

"He was two years older than you and always struck me as odd. He would take to one task and work at it relentlessly until it was completed. He's marrying the Brown nitwit soon, isn't he?" Severus asked, hedging as to why Draco might be asking about him.

Leaning his head back against the rocker, Draco sighed, "Do you know that Hermione Granger has a son?"

"Yes, but how is that pertinent to this conversation?"

"Because Adrian Pucey is the father of her child."

"You don't say. Well that could cause some problems."

"By Merlin, you are as unhelpful as you were ten years ago. What do you know, Snape?"

"Nothing that I can tell you yet, Draco. To get the information you seek, you must go to the source directly. Only she will be able to help you out. "

Draco growled in frustration and apparated directly out of the room.

Draco stewed over the information Severus had unhelpfully given him for the next few days. During his work at the Auror Department, he poured over files from the death eater trials in hope of finding something that would get rid of his Pucey problem. Honestly, he had no idea why this was driving him mad. This child wasn't his and he didn't really like Hermione all the much but something about her son stirred something in his heart.

On Thursday, he had been so intently studying files on Pucey that he didn't notice the guest standing in his doorway until they cleared their throat slightly.

"Draco?" A dreamy voice called out, startling him from his spot. His wand whipped out and a curse almost crossed his lips until he saw who was standing.

"Good gods, Luna, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

The blond moved swept into his office with a slight smile, "I am sorry, Draco. I was here at the Ministry and thought I would drop by to see how your day with Declan went since you never bothered to tell me."

Draco stood from his seat and walked around the desk to give Luna a hug. She was the closet thing he had to a sister and truly valued their friendship, even if she was a bit odd at times.

Letting go, he grasped her elbow to help her sit in a chair. Once Luna was settled, he sat on his desk so he could face her.

"My day with Declan was interesting to say the least. He nearly destroyed this department and called me a meanie head when I told Hermione about his little fiasco. But what made the day even more interesting was who was waiting for me back at the manor," Draco trailed off, remembering Adrian's threatening words.

"Do you have a Blibbering Humdinger floating around in your stomach?" Luna huffed, "Tell me who was waiting!"

Draco scoffed, "What the bloody hell is a Blibbering Humdinger?"

Rolling her eyes, Luna replied, "Honestly Draco, you would know so much more about if you actual read the Quibbler I send you every month. But it's this little insect that floats around in your stomach causing various forms of memory loss."

"How can something in your stomach cause memory loss," Draco retorted, the Malfoy smirk prominent on his face.

"Draco Malfoy, you are upsetting both me and the baby. Unless you want me to go into labor early, then tell me," Luna nearly shouted, losing all her patience and placing a delicate on her protruding stomach.

Now, Draco was no idiot. He knew she was manipulating him but at the same time, he didn't care.

Leaning forward slightly, he said, "Adrian Pucey."

"No," gasped Luna, a hand flying to her mouth.

"Yes," grimaced Draco, "he was there to threaten me away from Hermione and Declan."

Luna sat there stunned. She hadn't honestly thought that Adrian would actually do anything to Hermione but now she wasn't so sure. And neither was Draco.

"Do you think he'll do something?" Luna whispered.

Draco sighed. This is why he had been studying Adrian Pucey. It was his goal to learn how Pucey thinks so that he could be one step ahead but through all his research, he had barely found anything that would help him come to a decision.

"I wish I knew, Luna. I honestly wish I knew."

While Draco had been trying to discover every little fact he could find about Pucey, Hermione had been living her life as normal as possible. Her days consisted of getting Declan ready in the morning, taking him over to Luna's or leaving him with the nanny, spending her day at the bookstore, then coming home to spend time with her son.

Today, she decided that she was going to take the long way to work and floo into the Leaky Cauldron then walk down Diagon Alley. After the war, shops had reopened and the magical alley had flourished. New, innovative shops were popping up all over the place and Knockturn Alley had been converted into more shopping areas. The Auror's had taken care of all the 'dark magic' shops by completely demolishing certain blocks then rebuilding them into quaint storefronts.

Her shop was located just on the edge of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. In her mind, she was going through her schedule for the day when she ran full on into someone. The wall she ran into let out a small grunt, while Hermione fell flat on her bum.

"I am so sorry," She blurted out, embarrassed for not paying attention.

"It's no problem. No harm, no foul," a deep voice replied, holding a hand out for her to take.

She reached for the hand and looked up at the stranger for the first time. Gasping, she pulled her hand back and stood up by herself.

"Adrian?" She questioned, looking into the strong contours of this man's face.

"Yes, how are you, Hermione?" He answered, giving her a smile.

She didn't know what to do or how to act. How was supposed to act around her child's absentee father?

"I'm fine, just on my way to work."

Adrian held out his hand again, "Do you mind if I walk you to your shop?"

Startled, she stuttered, "I-I g-guess so."

"Great," he grinned at her, "So I was thinking that I would like to see Declan soon. Would you two come have lunch with me sometime soon? Maybe tomorrow if you're not too busy?"

Hermione had no idea how to respond. She didn't want this man anywhere near her child, especially when he was marrying the vindictive Lavender Brown in a few weeks.

"Adrian, I do-" she started to say but stopped when she felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her tight.

"Sorry, Pucey but Hermione and I are taking a long weekend at one of my estates in France. So I don't think her and Declan are going to be able to meet with you anytime in the near future," Draco drawled out.

Hermione turned to look at him in shock before nodding, "Sorry, Adrian."

Adrian narrowed his eyes and snapped, "Are you two dating or something?"

Draco's eyes took a predatory gleam, "I think we are more than dating."

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered in his ear.

"Saving you. Please don't hex me for this," He whispered back, before leaning down and capturing her lips in a kiss.

**AN: So half of this chapter was newly written material. What did you think about Hermione's little run in with Adrian? Let me know in a review! **

**More than 200 of you are receiving story alerts for this story! I never expected so many of you to like it :D**

**_I am thinking about writing a Blaise/Luna spin off one shot series. Would you be interested in reading it? If no one is interested than I won't do it but so many of you tell me how much you love Blaise and Luna together. The stories will explain how the couple met and got to where they are today! _**

**_If you are interested, please let me know! _**

**_Review. Review. Review._**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything that can be associated with JK Rowling.**

**After four months, here is chapter 6!**

While Draco had been trying to discover every little fact he could find about Pucey, Hermione had been living her life as normal as possible. Her days consisted of getting Declan ready in the morning, taking him over to Luna's or leaving him with the nanny, spending her day at the bookstore, then coming home to spend time with her son.

Today, she decided that she was going to take the long way to work and floo into the Leaky Cauldron then walk down Diagon Alley. After the war, shops had reopened and the magical alley had flourished. New, innovative shops were popping up all over the place and Knockturn Alley had been converted into more shopping areas. The Auror's had taken care of all the 'dark magic' shops by completely demolishing certain blocks then rebuilding them into quaint storefronts.

Her shop was located just on the edge of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. In her mind, she was going through her schedule for the day when she ran full on into someone. The wall she ran into let out a small grunt, while Hermione fell flat on her bum.

"I am so sorry," She blurted out, embarrassed for not paying attention.

"It's no problem. No harm, no foul," a deep voice replied, holding a hand out for her to take.

She reached for the hand and looked up at the stranger for the first time. Gasping, she pulled her hand back and stood up by herself.

"Adrian?" She questioned, looking into the strong contours of this man's face.

"Yes, how are you, Hermione?" He answered, giving her a smile.

She didn't know what to do or how to act. How was supposed to act around her child's absentee father?

"I'm fine, just on my way to work."

Adrian held out his hand again, "Do you mind if I walk you to your shop?"

Startled, she stuttered, "I-I g-guess not."

"Great," he grinned at her, "So I was thinking that I would like to see Declan soon. Would you two come have lunch with me sometime soon? Maybe tomorrow if you're not too busy?"

Hermione had no idea how to respond. She didn't want this man anywhere near her child, especially when he was marrying the vindictive Lavender Brown in a few weeks.

"Adrian, I do-" she started to say but stopped when she felt an arm wrap around her waist and pull her tight.

"Sorry, Pucey but Hermione and I are taking a long weekend at one of my estates in France. So I don't think her and Declan are going to be able to meet with you anytime in the near future," Draco drawled out.

Hermione turned to look at him in shock before nodding, "Sorry, Adrian."

Adrian narrowed his eyes and snapped, "Are you two dating or something?"

Draco's eyes took a predatory gleam, "I think we are more than dating."

"What are you doing?" Hermione whispered in his ear.

"Saving you. Please don't hex me for this," He whispered back, before leaning down and capturing her lips in a kiss.

******

Hermione hadn't expected the kiss.

Further more, she hadn't expected to enjoy the kiss as much as she did.

Draco Malfoy, while a smarmy git, was a fabulous kisser. She felt the butterflies rise in her stomach as Draco's lips moved gently over hers. He seemed to be holding back, trying not to scare her, yet the kiss felt so passionate.

Completely forgetting where she was and whom she was talking to, Hermione wrapped her arms around Draco's neck in an attempt to get him to deepen the kiss.

His hands tapped her side in an attempt to get her to calm down. Reluctantly, Draco pulled away from Hermione's delicious lips. Who knew the mudblood could kiss like that?

He observed her closed eyes and slight smile for a moment. She hadn't hexed him yet which was a good thing but he wasn't prepared for her reaction. Her hand wrapped around Draco's waist and she opened her eyes to smile at him. "Darling, you really mustn't do that in public. Whenever you're around, I seem to forget myself," Hermione stated, pulling herself even closer to Draco's body.

Draco looked up at Pucey and caught the barely masked fury hidden in his eyes. He knew he would have to watch himself from now on but it was worth it.

"Well, I'll leave you two alone but Hermione, I will be sending you an owl about visitation rights for my son. I plan on seeing him and there is nothing you or Malfoy can do to stop me," Adrian spat out before spinning around and stomping back up the road.

As soon as he was out of sight, Hermione dropped her arms from Draco's waist. He flinched and waited for the curse to come. Nothing happened. He opened his eyes and found her looking at him curiously.

"What?" He asked. When she didn't respond, he started to get annoyed, "I know I'm good looking but Granger, you aren't really my type. Now can you stop looking at me?"

All Hermione did was shrug.

Draco Malfoy did not appreciate being toyed with and this bint was getting on his last nerve. Screw Luna's bet, he was just going to ignore her forever.

"Why did you do it?" She finally asked, curious as to why the Slytherin Prince would come to the know-it-all bookworms aid.

Draco was at a loss for words. How could he explain the situation to her in a way that wouldn't scare the shit out of her? She took his silence to be an unwillingness to answer her question and started to get defensive.

"You don't have to tell me but I just want to know why you attacked me with your lips in front of Adrian. It didn't mean anything and we can just forget about it. I know I didn't feel anything but I just want to know why you did it," Hermione rambled on.

Draco cut her off by placing a finger on her lips. "Please shut up, Granger. I will be happy to tell you but not here in the middle of street. When is your lunch break?"

"At 11 but-" Draco cut her off again.

"Please, Granger, this is something that needs to be talked about in private and not in the middle of the bloody street. I'll swing by your shop at 11 and we can talk about this over lunch but for now, please just forget about this. And if you run into Pucey, make up an excuse to get away from him."

Sighing, Hermione agreed to his request. She really wasn't in the mood for another fight and was already running late as it was. "Fine, Malfoy, I'll see you at 11."

He watched her as she turned around and continued to walk down the street. The bint really did have a fine backside. Being Draco Malfoy, he couldn't resist one more barb.

"OY, Granger," he shouted down the street, "don't deny that you loved every moment of the kiss, Darling."

The darling part was added on just to piss her off. He chuckled as he jumped out of the way of a stinging hex she sent his way. She was such an easy target.

***

At precisely 11 o'clock, Draco was walking into A Quiet Corner. A bell jingled as he walked through the door. Surprised at the sound, he turned and looked up at the doorframe. To his surprise, there was an actual bell that was set up to ring every time some one entered the shop. While a ringing charm could have been used, Granger had gone out of her way to make her shop more homely and comfortable.

"It's something muggles use," a voice stated from behind him. He turned around to find the small blond from the other day. She must be Granger's assistant or hired help.

"Where's Granger?" He asked, not really caring for propriety at the moment.

"My name's Anna. What's your name?" The small blond asked.

Draco examined the girl and realized she had to have just graduated from Hogwarts because she barely looked old enough to hold a job.

"Oh Malfoy, you're here. Anna, why didn't you come tell me?" Hermione asked as she walked out of the back room.

"I thought you were still busy looking over the papers that just arrived and I wanted to meet this fine gentlemen," Anna smiled at her boss.

Draco held back the urge to scoff and Granger just rolled her eyes. Anna look from her boss to the stranger standing by the door and asked, "Where are you two heading?"

"Not that it is any of your business but we are going out to lunch," Draco sneered at the girl. There was something about her that rubbed him the wrong way.

"See you in an hour or so, Anna," Hermione called out, grabbing her coat from the rack by the door and steered Draco out into the street. Once they were outside, she admonished him, "You didn't have to be so rude to the girl. She was only curious about you."

"There's something about her that rubs me the wrong way plus she's nosy," Draco complained causing Granger to laugh.

"Malfoy, she's a 17 year old girl and you are a handsome Auror. Of course, she's going to be curious," Hermione laughed.

Draco smirked at her, "So you think I'm handsome?"

Rolling her eyes, Granger steered him into a little café just down the block from her store. "Of course, I think you are handsome, Malfoy. You're an arrogant bastard but no one can deny that you aren't handsome."

Once they were seated and had placed their orders, both ordering a baguette and coffee, Draco decided to start his tale. He had spent all morning coming up with plausible ways to tell her the truth without telling her the complete truth.

"What do you know about blood laws, Granger?" he asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

"I know almost everything about them. What are you looking for specifically?" she replied. Her answer didn't come off as arrogant as it sounded. He realized that she probably did know almost everything about the law.

"Specifically regarding child custody cases," he continued.

"I know that if parents aren't married then it is up to the mother to decide what rights the father has to the child. The father can sue for custody but rarely do they win," Hermione answered, pausing to thank the waiter as he delivered their meals.

Draco shook his head, "Hermione, you are thinking of muggle laws. Here in the wizarding world things are a bit different, especially regarding purebloods and their children. Don't look at me like that."

The look she gave Draco when he mentioned it being different for purebloods could have scared other men senseless but he was Draco Malfoy and he was not scared of Hermione Granger. Well, not yet, at least.

"I know things have changed since the war ended but Granger, you have to remember that this world was built on the foundations of purebloods. The founding laws of the nation might be the only things that haven't changed," Draco continued on with his explanation, baguette forgotten.

Hermione took another sip of her coffee, stating, "But this doesn't answer the question as to why you kissed me."

"Bloody woman," Draco growled underneath his breath. Speaking up more, he exclaimed, "I'm getting there, Granger. Just hold your bloody horses. Now listen carefully, when a pureblood has a child with a man or woman they are not married to, said pureblood is entitled to take custody of that child to raise them in a proper manner. Its something called 'Pureblood Right'. We've already talked about this but from the way Pucey was talking this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if you get an owl soon saying he wants partial custody. Before you know it, he'll show up at your place and just take Declan and there is nothing you will be able to do about it."

Hermione's face drained of all color and Draco realized that might not have been the best way to tell her. He quickly continued on, "but there is a way to stop Adrian from taking custody of Declan. You need to find another Pureblood to express interest in you and your child. If they ask you to marry them or adopt Declan, than Adrian's Pureblood Right will be terminated forever."

"Who am I going to find, Draco?" she whispered, despair evident in her voice. He realized he was watching a woman who had resigned herself to the fact that she had no options.

"Surely, Weasel-bee would-"

Hermione shook her head, "Ron hasn't talked to me in years and would probably give Declan to Pucey just to spite me."

Damn, he had been hoping that one of her friends could come through for her. "Don't you know anyone else?"

"Draco, I'm a single unwed mother with a child. Who wants to date that? Especially when I'm a mudblood and my child is a half-blood."

"Well, you might not need to marry the person. I don't know what Pucey is like now but he might get scared off by another Pureblood expressing interest in you," Draco mused.

"Would you do it?" Hermione asked in a very quiet voice.

Draco's head snapped up. "Would I do what?"

"Would you express interest in me publicly? I mean, it can only be until I find out for certain what Pucey is thinking but I could really use your help here, Draco."

It was a close to begging as Hermione Granger would ever get. And it couldn't have worked out more perfectly for Draco. Now he could fulfill Luna's stupid wager and get to piss off Pucey at the same time. It truly was the perfect plan. And he couldn't be blamed for manipulating her feelings because she was the one who had come up with the arrangement.

"I mean you don't have to but-"

"Hermione, shut up," Draco drawled, interrupting her inane rambling. She looked up at him with hopeful brown eyes. "Yes, I'll help you. I think we need to keep up the charade we gave to Pucey. Pretending that we've been dating in secret for a while and have just now decided to come out. We can tell Luna, Blaise, and Potter the truth because they won't believe us but no one else can know the truth."

"Agreed," Hermione whispered, "what do we tell Declan?"

Draco paused, "I think we should tell him that we are dating. If you would like, we really can go the French Malfoy estate this weekend and spend some quality time getting to know one another and to get our background story squared away."

"I like the sound of that," Hermione answered. Looking at her watch, she realized she had been there for almost an hour and needed to get back. "Care to walk me back to the shop? We can give Anna a big show to go tell people about."

Draco smirked at her as he held out his hand. He helped her up from the table, and then wrapped his larger hand around her smaller one. It unnerved him how perfectly they fit together.

"How very Slytherin of you, darling."

Swinging their hands slightly, she smirked back at him, "You'd be surprise what kind of trouble I used to get into, Malfoy."

"Draco, you should call me Draco and I'll call you Hermione."

Soon they were back at her shop. Draco pulled her to a stop in front of the glass doors, in plain view of Anna, and wrapped his other arm around her. Placing a gentle kiss on her lips, he whispered, "Look for my owl, darling."

Hermione pressed her lips to his again quickly before pulling away and entering the store.

Oh yes, this was going to be perfect.

**AN: Amazing readers! I am back to only writing for the Harry Potter fandom. It is my goal to finish all my HP stories including a new one I just posted yesterday entitled "This Debt I Owe" which is a next generation fic starring Lily Luna Potter and Scorpius Malfoy (other than that pairing, I am trying to keep it as close to cannon as possible). Also, thank you for checking out my Blaise and Luna spin offs. I will continue to post them as they come to me. The next story will revolve around a misunderstanding between Luna and Blaise involving Draco Malfoy.**

**So what did you think of the chapter? Click that wonderful little button and let me know in a review!**

**FYI: Draco is not doing this to help Hermione. So if he seemed to agree to easily, remember his bet with Luna and fight with Pucey. He's a Slytherin after all.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Harry Potter. JK Rowling is the brilliant billionaire behind the magic. **

Draco was soon to find that trying to schedule a date with Hermione was one of the hardest challenges he had faced. The woman was too busy for her own good. Between running her shop, watching her son, arranging play dates for her son, and going about a daily routine, there just wasn't any time to fit Draco in. It was not a feeling that Draco Malfoy enjoyed. He had never been second best to anything and he wasn't about to start now.

Enlisting Luna was easy. Now he just had to convince Blaise that he needed to watch Declan for the weekend. But with Luna on his side, Draco knew it would only be a matter of time before he caved.

Walking into the restaurant where he and Blaise were supposed to be eat lunch, Draco found that said man was nowhere in sight. Checking his watch to make sure he wasn't too early, Draco realized that the always-punctual Blaise was running late. Smirking to himself while thinking of different ways to ridicule his usually punctual friend, Draco sauntered over to the hostess stand to get a table.

"A table for two, please," he smirked at the waitress who nearly melted in her shoes.

Regaining control over her voice, the witch smiled, "Of course, Mr. Malfoy, your party is already seated and waiting for you in the back."

Party? What other party was there? Draco searched the restaurant again but Blaise was nowhere in sight. The hostess led him to a table in the back that was obstructed from view.

There in a chair sat Hermione Granger. And by Merlin, the woman was wearing a dress. She looked as if she were going on a dat…It suddenly clicked in Draco's mind what had happened.

Hermione Granger found it odd that Luna wanted her to dress up for their lunch together but wasn't willing to question the 7 month pregnant witch. But when Luna didn't show up, Hermione started to worry. It wasn't like Luna to forget they were meeting. She was just about ready to floo call the Zabini's when she heard the hostess say, "Your party is already seated and waiting for you in the back. "

Thinking Luna would come rushing back, Hermione put on her best smile. But it was all for waste when she realized it was only Draco Malfoy. The very same Draco Malfoy who had nearly snogged her senseless earlier in the week. That man really had amazing lips.

"Granger, what are you doing here?" The amazing lipped man asked, sitting down across from her.

Hermione shifted in her seat, slightly uncomfortable with his intense stare. "I'm here to meet Luna for lunch. What are you doing here, Malfoy?"

"What do you mean you're supposed to meet Luna? I was supposed to meet Blaise here for lun-" Draco trailed off as he realized he had once again been set up by the blond witch. "Bloody secret Slytherin," He muttered underneath his breath and was surprised when he heard Hermione laugh.

"She does have her moments. Personally, I think it's from hanging around you and Blaise for so many years. You've been a bad influence on her, Draco Malfoy. She used to be so sweet," Hermione laughed.

Smirking, Draco responded, "Well, I'm a Malfoy. We are know for our destructive powers of manipulation and the ability to turn any sweet wall flower into a big bad no good doer."

"No good doer? That makes absolutely no sense, Draco. How many schemes have you involved Luna in over the years?" Hermione grinned hoping to catch him off guard or at least hear an interesting story about his rumored escapades.

"More like what schemes she involved me in. Bloody woman and her manipulation skills. I taught her so well."

Still smiling lightly, Hermione interjected, "Enough about Luna. She obviously wanted us to eat a meal together and I am too starving to go somewhere else, so let's order. Unless your opposed to eating to eating with a with a muggleborn single mother."

Draco knew this was a trap. Women always tried to trip him up and get him to say the wrong thing. The normal Draco Malfoy response would be something along the lines of 'I would never eat lunch with you. You muggle germs might contaminate my food' but he was now the muggle loving Draco Malfoy so he swallowed his words and said, "I have no problem eating lunch with you, Hermione. We can talk about this coming weekend at the French Malfoy estate."

The lunch went surprisingly well which shocked both Hermione and Draco. It wasn't everyday that you enjoyed the company of your former enemy.

After lunch, Hermione convinced Draco to go on a walk with her through London. Coffee cups in hands, the couple strolled through a park Hermione was familiar with talking about the upcoming weekend trip to the Malfoy French Estate located just inside the magical sector in Paris.

"Are you sure about bringing Declan won't be a problem?" Hermione asked, remembering the various times her son had nearly destroyed her house.

"I think he should come if I plan to get to know him better. Plus, I've had the manor childproofed and searched for all dark objects. It's completely safe for him there."

Hermione wouldn't ever admit it aloud but that had been one of her fears about going to the estate. Declan was a growing boy and was forever curious. "I'm impressed, Draco. And I want to thank you for doing this. I know it goes against everything you believe and were taught as a child."

Sighing, Draco wrapped his hand around her smaller hand. When she didn't pull away, he continued, "Hermione, my parents weren't as bad as you seem to think. They were wonderful parents until our fourth year when the Dark Lord came back. They taught me that Purebloods were better but didn't have the hatred for muggleborns. You used to drive my parents mad though."

Stopping abruptly, Hermione asked, "What? Why?"

A sardonic smile crossed Draco's face as he answered, "Because here I was, this pureblood that had everything handed to him, and you were beating me at everything. Mother and Father were so upset they couldn't say their son was the smartest person at Hogwarts. It was so bloody infuriating."

And it had been infuriating to continually be shown that he was not the best. She was the constant needlepoint that popped his ego time and time again. But he had her this time. She was falling for his soft, sensitive act just as he planned. He had no intention of losing his bet with Luna Zabini. He didn't care so much to be a godparent but it was rather a matter of pride. He had Hermione Granger, mudblood extraordinaire, in the palm of his hand. There was no doubt in his mind that she would be in love with him by the end of the weekend.

"Draco, I had to constantly prove that I was good enough. I wasn't overly pretty or athletic or popular and I had that awful hair," Hermione said, chuckling slightly at the memory of her bushy hair. "So I had to prove I was worthy through academics."

Snorting, Draco shot back, "Like hell you weren't popular. By the end of our 6th year every guy from fourth year up wanted to shag you."

"Including you, Malfoy?" Hermione asked without missing a beat.

"I didn't have time to think about shagging girls back then. My mind and spare time was a bit preoccupied with my task but I definitely noticed you, Granger. Hell, I think everyone noticed you after the Ball fourth year." Draco wasn't beyond admitting that he had admired Granger over the years. Once her teeth had been fixed and hair straightened out, she was actually nice to look at and motherhood had helped her in the curves department.

Putting a nearly perfect Malfoy smirk, Hermione drawled out, "Well, what are you going to do about that now, Draco?"

Copying her smirk, leaned even closer to her and whispered, "I am going to kiss you again, Miss Granger. Then I am going to take you home to your son And tomorrow, I am going to pick you up around 2 pm to take you and Declan to Paris where we will enjoy ourselves immensely."

"Mmmm," Hermione trailed off as Draco placed a kiss on her neck, working his way up towards her lips. "Draco Malfoy, smooth talker extraordinaire, I am going to have to watch out for you."

Draco grinned against her cheek before his hand moved up to turn her chin slightly towards him as he brought his lips down to meet hers. Her hands trailed up his chest before settling around his neck, one hand buried in his hair. This kiss wasn't as intense as their kiss in front of Adrian but rather slow with a burning passion that lurked beneath every touch.

He could definitely get used to kissing Hermione Granger.

Neither noticed the flash of a camera behind them not did they notice the quick-write quill furiously scribbling on a piece of parchment next to the vengeful glare of a blond bespectacled head.

The following day, the Daily Prophet's headline read:

**A Granger and a Malfoy? What Has the Wizarding World Come To?**

**Draco Malfoy, voted most eligible bachelor five years running, seems to be off the market, ladies. He was spotted eating lunch with Hermione Granger, whose bastard son was mysteriously absent. After finishing their meal, Draco and Hermione took a stroll through London before pausing to make a spectacle of themselves. How long has this secret romance been going on? Is Draco Malfoy the father of Granger's son? **

**Pansy Parkinson, a close friend of Mr. Malfoy, stated: "Draco would never stoop that low. It had to be some kind of pity date. **

**While Luna Zabini, wife of Blaise Zabini and friend to Draco and Hermione stated: "I think it's lovely that those two have finally gone public with the romance. The lovedoodles have been swarming around them for years. **

**Adrian Pucey, rumored father of Ms. Granger's child, declined statement on the matter but sources say he was not happy when he found out the news. **

**We are all waiting with anticipation to see how this romance falls apart because we all know this pair is bound to break up. A pureblood and a muggleborn. Fairy tales don't happen in real life, Miss Granger. Please find new victim.**

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**AN: IT'S A NEW CHAPTER? YES, DEAR READERS, I AM FINALLY BACK TO THIS STORY! Updates may be slow but keep checking back. This chapter was more of a filler and to help me get back into the swing of Dramione. So let me know what you thought! **

Up next: The Grangers and Draco play house at the French Estate. And Adrian Pucey starts to make trouble.

******Reviews are always appreciated and welcomed :)**


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